Typhoon Wipha Kills At Least 17 in Japan

Japan's strongest typhoon in nearly a decade moved up the coast Wednesday, bringing heavy wind, strong rain and causing mudslides that killed at least 17 people.

Typhoon Wipha did its worst damage to Izu Oshima island, south of Tokyo. Officials say at least 50 people there are missing after several houses were destroyed or swept away.

The storm also disrupted the morning commute as it brushed past Tokyo, halting trains, canceling flights, and shutting down schools and offices.

The capital avoided major damage, though authorities are searching for two young boys missing after playing on a beach.

Wipha also passed by the Fukushima nuclear power plant, where rainwater in the past has contributed to ongoing radiation leaks. The plant's operators did not report any abnormal radiation levels and says it dumped rainwater into the ocean after examining it for radioactivity.

At its height, Wipha was packing winds of up to 180 kilometers per hour. It has since weakened to a tropical depression and is moving away from Japan.

The storm was Japan's worst since 2004, when a cyclone caused landslides and floods that killed nearly 100 people.